Christmas South of the Equator

The Steele McDonough gang arrived in Quito on Tuesday night. Though Dad complained about Mom trying to take the lead in the customs process and then getting annoyed when she didn't understand the Spanish, we all met up without any issues and made our way to our hotel in Quito's La Mariscal district. Here's some of our favorite photos from our three days in Quito.


This is from our first morning as we crossed a pedestrian bridge.



On our first night we went to La Ronda, a historical street that was traditionally home to Quito's artist class. I took the opportunity to order guinea pig (cuy).


The next day we went together to my high school, pausing to take a picture at El Choclo, or the corn monument.


My classmates and teachers were really excited to see my family, mostly to confirm the reports that my dad is even taller than I am.


Later that afternoon we went into Quito's historic center, making stops at La Basilica.


Yesterday we took a ride on the Teleférico, a trip that I wrote about back in September.


Sean and I nearly fell off the cliff face for this photo.


Then we asked a man already carrying his sleeping two-year-old son to take a picture for us.

We left Quito last night to spend two nights in Mindo, a cloud forest about two hours from Quito. Tomorrow we're looking forward to celebrating Christmas in Mindo and then hopping in the car to go south to Baños, a town known for its thermal springs. Hope you all enjoy the photos. Merry Christmas!